Summer is a great time to connect with family and friends. I recall growing up in eastern North Carolina on my family's farm and summer days were filled with excitement. Some days I spent the early morning hours gathering vegetables from the garden with my grandmother and late evenings feeding livestock with my grandfather. Other days, I found myself outdoors all day riding my blue huffy bike and exploring the forest for critters and special treasures. My grandfather was a tobacco farmer; at the end of the summer he took tobacco to town to be sold at the tobacco warehouse. Spending the day with him at the warehouse was magical, it was extra special if we made a stop at the café for a hot dog and soda pop. How do you best connect with your family and friends during the summer? Email cir@chesterfield.gov with your stories to include in our August newsletter!  

For ways to engage with your family in the Community check out the County's events calendar here! 

The 5th Government Citizens Academy returned to in person this Spring and at our June Board of Supervisor's Meeting twelve citizens were recognized as official graduates for our Spring 2022 class.  This nine week program provided an extensive overview of local government operations as well as interaction with County Leadership and Elected Officials.  Congrats to our graduates! 

Portrait of an Immigrant Event

In early June, CIR Multi-Cultural Services in partnership with the Asian American Society of Central Virginia hosted a speaker panel of immigrants featured in the newly released book Portraits of an Immigrant Voices.  The panelist were able to tell their story and experience of being an immigrant in the Country.  To learn more about the Asian American Society of Central Virginia please click here

"Thank You" Volunteer Reception 

CIR hosted a thank you reception at Cornerstone Assembly of God. The reception was attended by our County Administrator, Dr. Casey, and Board of Supervisors to thank the volunteers that have been recognized through Community Champions and Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame, as well as non-profit partners that give back to the community. We look forward to hosting this event on a larger scale in 2023! 

To learn more about volunteering for Chesterfield County please click here 

Juneteenth Celebration

Chesterfield County in partnership with Public Schools, The Chesterfield Education Foundation and Virginia Credit Union hosted the second annual Juneteenth Community Breakfast.  The event gave out the first "Trail Blazer Award" which recognizes an African American owned business that has provided a significant contribution to the Community.  This year's recipient was Waller Tire Place that has been in business for over 40 years in Chester. 

Mr. Waller Community Trail Blazer Award recipient 

Human Services Department Representatives at Juneteenth Breakfast. 

Summer is Blooming! 

On behalf of the staff and youth at Chesterfield Juvenile Detention’s Post Dispositional Program, we would like to continue to thank all the wonderful volunteers that have contributed their time, generous donations, and knowledge to the reestablishment of our garden beds. We are excited to show the first “fruits” of our labor! Next for our horticulture program is to complete much needed work to the interior and exterior of the greenhouse.

Look out for future updates!

MHSS Award Recognition

In collaboration with other Chesterfield County departments our MHSS Prevention Team was recently recognized with 2 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). One of the awards was “Best in Category” which has not been attained in Chesterfield since 2015! 

Please click on the links below to see more information about the two awards.

 “Resilient Chesterfield” – this was a partnership with the Chesterfield Suicide Awareness and Prevention Coalition

“Mental Health Is A Puzzle, But We Have The Missing Piece” – this was a collaborative effort with the Youth Citizens Board, Citizen Information and Resources and Communications and Media

With summer heat and humidity in full swing know tips to stay safe. 

• Citizen Information and Resources: Emily Ashley, director
• Community Corrections Services: JoAnn McLaurin-Carpenter, assistant director
• Drug Courts: Melanie Meadows, administrator 
• Juvenile Justice Services: Justin Crostic, program administrator for treatment programs & detention alternatives 
• Mental Health Support Services: Jaroslaw Muchowski, assistant director of administration and planning
• Social Services: Kiva Rogers, director